Plant material coming from the US Mainland must be inspected by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
All plants, plant parts, animals, microbial cultures, soil, and associated containers and packaging materials are considered agricultural products.
How to get to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland
Prior to landing in Hawaii, flight attendants distribute and collect the “Plants and Animals Declaration Form,” which must be filled out for any agricultural commodities.
The Agricultural Inspection Counter, which is positioned in the baggage claim area close to the exits, must receive all agricultural commodities for inspection.
Transporting goods to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland
- Parcels must be marked on the outside with words to this effect: “Contains Agricultural MaterialMay Be Opened for Inspection.
- All plant material needs to be free of soil, pest insects, and disease symptoms.
- The shipment must contain a manifest or inventory of the various types of plant material.
RESTRICTED OR PROHIBITED ITEMS:
Commonly prohibited plant material: After inspection, most plants are allowed into the state. However, Hawaii prohibits the importation of the following without prior authorization for quarantine, treatment, or certification.
Are succulents allowed in Hawaii?
The following general rules apply to the introduction of plants into Hawaii:
- At the point of entry into the state, all plants must be inspected.
- Insects and diseases must seemingly not exist on plants.
- Plants don’t have to be bare-rooted, but dirt cannot be present in the growing medium.
- Plant materials or agricultural commodities must be clearly identified on any packages delivered to the state via mail or cargo.
- An invoice or packing manifest outlining the contents and quantity of the imported goods must be included with shipments.
The following items need licenses, origin or treatment certifications, or both. Some must spend some time in a quarantine center.
Can I ship plants from the mainland to Hawaii?
Before you deliver your delivery to an airline cargo office, the post office, or another courier service, APHIS must inspect all agricultural commodities, including fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, flowers, and crafts manufactured from plants or wood, and they must be determined to be pest-free.
Can plants be transported between the Hawaiian islands?
ADVICE: Some Plant Quarantine offices have shortened their inspection hours due to a manpower shortage.
Interisland travelers are strongly recommended to get in touch with the plant quarantine office on that island in advance for guidance on inspection times if they intend to bring live animals (other than dogs and cats) in pots or plant cuttings. Contact information for the office of plant quarantine.
If passengers buy plants from a certified nursery that can certify plants for transport, they may be exempt from inspection restrictions. an index of accredited nurseries.
OHIA ADVISORY
Moving soil and ohia from locations where Rapid Ohia Death is present is prohibited between islands (ROD).
Except with a permit from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, ohia (including plants, flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs, cuttings, logs, mulch, and frass) and soil on Hawaii Island may not be transported to other islands.
Can you bring plants from Hawaii with you?
Reader Anna Aarons of HAWAII magazine inquired about the rainbow shower trees in Waikiki after falling in love with them while visiting Oahu:
You query. In response, we provide details on bringing any Hawaii plants back to the American mainland.
Let’s start with rainbow shower trees, which are crossbreeds of the pink and white and golden shower trees. These trees, which are native to Hawaii, typically have pink and yellow blossoms.
Plants can be shipped straight to you through the inspection program run by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA). The number of plants that each nursery can send is restricted.
To get a cutting of the tree from at least 3 feet above ground and bring it to the HDOA for inspection, you must be in Hawaii. Don’t forget to bring a box. It will be examined, packaged, and certified for export by HDOA.
Remember that your state’s department of agriculture still has the right to open the box and look inside.
Your home state’s department of agriculture is the best place to start if you want to bring any Hawaii plants to the mainland to find out if they are permitted. Plant imports from the Islands are prohibited in states including Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, and California. Arizona forbids the import of plants like hibiscus and plumeria.
Many Hawaii shops, including ABC Stores and Don Quijote, provide pre-packaged plant shoots (bulbs) that have been pre-inspected for export to the U.S. Mainland and were obtained from licensed Hawaii nurseries to make your agriculture inspection easier.
It’s normal to fall in love with Hawaii’s landscape. Your backyard shower tree or plumeria will serve as a lovely and fragrant memento of your trip to the Islands.
The aforementioned advice ought to make it a little bit simpler to bring a live piece of paradise home.
Can I bring a coconut from Hawaii home with me?
Items from Hawaii that visitors may transport into the U.S. mainland and Guam without limitation (after passing the USDA pre-departure inspection): sandy beach. Coconut.
Can I bring my Hawaiian lei home with me?
Ask the lei maker if any citrus plant pieces were used in the creation of the lei. It is forbidden to use citrus blossoms, leaves, or any other citrus plant components. Additional prohibited lei plants? Jade vine, gardenia, or Mauna Loa. For more details, see the fact sheet on transporting lei from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Can I bring a pineapple from Hawaii home?
On flights leaving from Hawaii for North America, we will often accept one pre-packaged box of pineapples or treated papayas, per paid passenger, free of charge (subject to space availability). The box must to pass a pre-agriculture inspection and not weigh more than 10 pounds.
What flowers are against limits for returning from Hawaii?
To guard against dangerous plant pests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forbids the importation of a number of goods, including several flowers used in Hawaiian leis. Make sure all the parts of your lei are permitted for return to the U.S. mainland if you intend to carry Hawaiian leis with you.
Fortunately, doing that is not too difficult. Ask the vendor when purchasing a lei to confirm that it does not contain any fresh botanical fruits, such as berries and pandanus fruit, or any of the things listed as being forbidden, such as any flowers, leaves, or other plant parts that are citrus- or citrus-related, jade vine, or Mauna Loa. Please be aware that elements of plants linked to citrus, such as mock orange blooms and leaves, are occasionally utilized in the creation of leis. For examples of imitation oranges used in leis, see pictures 1 and 2.
It is crucial that you ask the merchant this question. To stop the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid, a gnat-sized bug that can spread one of the most dangerous citrus diseases in the world, citrus greening disease, USDA imposes a federal quarantine. All citrus fruits, other fruits, and ornamental plants are consumed by this dangerous bug. Citrus or leaves with citrus undertones are frequently seen in some kukui-nut leis and other varieties. At the airport, USDA officials will check your leis for forbidden substances and any indications of plant infection or infestation.
Protect the citrus industry and other agricultural sectors in America. Ask the seller to check that a lei you intend to purchase to bring back to the mainland United States does not contain any forbidden items.
What am I not allowed to bring to Hawaii?
PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED ITEMS:
- fruits and plants from bromeliads and pineapple.
- Plants and seeds for passion fruit.
- Cruciferous vegetables for the roots (radish, turnip, daikon, horseradish, rutabaga)
- Cobs of corn.
- Fruits with pulp and citrus from Florida and Puerto Rico.
- Dasheen and Taro.
- Coconuts.
Can I bring shells back from Hawaii?
Some of the nicest sand in the world can be found on the stunning Hawaiian beaches; it is soft, comfy, not rocky, and the pebbles vary in size and color. Pictures depict the sky as it appears in the waves’ retreating reflections on a bed of flat sand. Sea shells are one thing, nevertheless, that I haven’t come across in my strolls around several beaches.
Even though I hadn’t particularly been looking for seashells, a few recent guests wanted to bring some back as gifts. As we had seen on beaches on the mainland, there were no lines of shells at the high tide mark of the waves or partially buried in the sand. The only two seashells we have are ones Rick found while snorkeling, however I had earlier gathered a few tiny bits of coral that resemble little round white stones.
Despite not being an expert in this field, I have learned two things. First off, it would seem that the majority of seashells in Hawaii are discovered in the water while swimming or snorkeling, particularly close to reefs or rocky ledges. They are not easy to find by simply strolling along the beach. Second, some individuals believe that it is against the law in Hawaii to take rocks or shells from the shore. The Division of Land and Natural Resources states that it is acceptable to take modest amounts of sand, dead coral, rocks, or other marine deposits for private, noncommercial usage.
However, Hawaii welcomes more than 7,000,000 visitors each year. The environment suffers severe harm if each of them takes back a portion of the islands. Additionally, according to Hawaiian tradition, all elements on the islands—including people, plants, animals, and rocks—are interconnected. Parts of the island should not be removed; doing so is disrespectful.
It seems like a far better idea to document Hawaii’s natural beauty with photos while keeping it as undisturbed as you can for the next person or your next visit. If you must have seashells, purchase a few imitations from neighborhood stores and congratulate yourself on being a considerate tourist to the islands.
Can you bring plants between islands?
HONOLULU
The current interisland quarantine was expanded to include permission criteria for the movement of all soil from Hawaii Island, which were introduced to stop the spread of Ceratocystis fimbriata’s rare rapid ohia death (ROD) strains. Those visiting the Merrie Monarch Festival and buying potted plants on Hawaii Island may be impacted by the soil restriction. Transporting interisland potted plants that are in soil-free potting media is permitted; however, if the potted plant contains soil from Hawaii Island, transfer is forbidden unless authorized. All potted plants, cuttings, and shoots intended for replanting must also pass an agricultural inspection.
The following conditions were approved by the board today for the dirt from Hawaii Island permit:
- the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) issuing an interisland permit;
- The shipper must actively participate in HDOA’s Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) compliance program, which comprises routine testing and inspections, if soil is to be tested for ROD;
- All shipments must be accompanied by an invoice or packing list, an interisland permit, and an HDOA certificate of inspection;
- Clearly labeled shipments must read “Soil from Hawaii Island” or “Soil Samples from Hawaii Island for Research and Analysis,” and “This Parcel May Be Opened and Delayed for Agricultural Inspection; and
- Shipments are subject to a PQB inspector’s post-arrival inspection.
Other requirements include requiring the identity and contact details of the shipper and requiring the reporting of any illness outbreaks connected to the shipment.
“According to Scott Enright, chair of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, “the board seriously considered the impact of limits on the movement of soil from Hawaii Island and the majority felt that this action needed to be done to assist prevent the spread of this disease to uninfected islands.” “For the purpose of minimizing any negative effects on the nursery industry, our staff at Plant Quarantine will collaborate closely with those that utilize soil in potted plants.
In August 2015, the Hawaii Board of Agriculture imposed an urgent quarantine to prevent the plant disease from spreading from Hawaii Island to other islands. Hawaii Island soil, flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, twigs, cuttings, untreated timber, logs, mulch, greenwaste, frass (sawdust from boring beetles), and other ohia plants and plant parts cannot be transported between islands without a permit from HDOA.
In order to ascertain if soil is more than just a carrier of ROD and whether soil carrying ROD spores can infect ohia plants, the board requested more data and study on the ability of soil to be a vector of ROD at the meeting in August 2015. Information presented at the meeting today favored maintaining the ROD quarantine on soil.
The most recent study being undertaken at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Daniel K. Inouye Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) on Hawaii Island suggests that ROD spores in soil may infect ohia plants. HDOA collaborated with researchers at the federal and state levels on this study. The data was presented to the Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals, the Advisory Committee on Plants and Fungi, and the Advisory Subcommittee on Plants earlier this month. All of them recommended that the board approve the permit conditions for the interisland movement of soil from Hawaii Island.
Anyone who breaks the quarantine order might face a misdemeanor prosecution and a punishment of at least $100. The highest penalty is $10,000. If a person or organization violates this rule twice within five years of a prior conviction, they will be penalized between $500 and $25,000 for each infraction.
The multi-agency ROD working group will have a booth at the Merrie Monarch Festival from March 27 to April 2 to gather Ohio-related materials.
ROD, often referred to as ohia wilt, was originally discovered in Puna in 2010. Researchers from USDA-ARS identified the fungus as Ceratocystis fimbriata in 2014. Between Kalapana and Hilo, the disease was thought to have affected 6,000 acres in 2014, with tree mortality rates exceeding 50%. Currently, 34,000 acres are thought to be infected. Other islands have not yet shown signs of the sickness. The disease’s origin and route of entry into the state are unknown.